Up NYC Co-Founder Faces 20 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Fraud

Apr 13, 2018 3:57 AM1,622 views • comments

Staff Writer

SneakerWatch Staff Writer

In November of 2016, Fat Joe teamed up with the then-teenage sneaker reseller, Scott Spina, to open their very own sneaker store in New York officially known as Up NYC. Initially, the business venture was a success and lucrative for both co-founders Spina and Fat Joe but not too long after the retailer's grand opening, legal drama arose. Lawsuits were filed in regards to fake charges and according to Spina, he was forced out of the sneaker hub only weeks after the location's inaugural opening.

Unfortunately, things haven't gotten any better for Scott Spina as it been revealed that the now 20-year-old has pled guilty in a Newark federal courtroom to one count of wire fraud after the store's electronic payment processing company, Cayan, recognized several unauthorized charges surface from the storefront.

According to court documents, Spina confessed to fraudulently obtaining and using customer's credit card information to finalize purchases while falsifying transactions from his own store account. Spina, who's known for his wide array of celebrity and athlete clientele, also failed to provide his top-list customer base with requested sneakers/product and was able to fraudulently accumulate approximately $750,000 in both money and merchandise.

Scott Spina is currently facing up to 20 years in federal prison including a $250,000 fine and will be sentenced on July 23rd.